CaliConnection: How our California NASCAR drivers fared this weekend

Several IZOD IndyCar Series and NASCAR drivers have California connections. Below is a roundup of how each California driver fared at their respective races this weekend.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (Aug. 20, 2012) – With only three races left in the season, the IZOD IndyCar Series took the weekend off as it prepares for its Aug. 26 event in Sonoma, followed by the Sept. 2 INDYCAR event on the Streets of Baltimore, then the MAVTV 500 IZOD IndyCar World Championships season finale at Auto Club Speedway on Sept 15.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (Aug. 20, 2012) – Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing and Ford Motor Company all celebrated the end of a drought Sunday with Biffle's victory in the Pure Michigan 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. With his third victory at the 2-mile track, his second of the season and the 18th of his career, Biffle broke a seven-race dry spell for both Ford and owner Jack Roush at MIS. Biffle also grabbed the points lead from Californian Jimmie Johnson, who finished 27th after his engine failed in the closing lap.

16th PLACE FINISH: Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Jimmy John's team finished 16th at Michigan International Speedway after battling handling issues during the Pure Michigan 400. "Obviously, that was not the kind of day we were expecting to have. Our team struggled all weekend to find the speed and setup we needed to get the Jimmy John's Chevrolet out front. We'll regroup this week and switch our focus to Bristol (Motor Speedway)."

28th PLACE FINISH: Gordon was sidelined with engine issues on lap 95. “This is a tough place on engines. We rarely have these issues and it’s unfortunate to have this one here today. It’s the kind of year we have been having. I was hoping after Pocono we could carry some momentum and not have these kinds of back-to-back weekends, but that’s not the case. We go on to Bristol and fight hard there.”

NASCAR recently identified several drivers in their weekly and touring series that they have identified as young up and coming stars who represent the next wave of young talent set to make an impact on the national series scene. One of those drivers is Kyle Larson from Elk Grove, Calif. who competes in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the highest level of NASCAR's developmental race series. We’ll keep up with Larson’s progress as he makes his way to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Series took the weekend off, preparing for its Sept. 3 event in South Carolina.